Blood – The Continuation

By Jasmin Kaiba

It took Sesshomaru more then twelve hours to calm down enough to return to human form and think straight. It took him some more time and pondering to realize that he didn't have a object to take revenge on. The culprit was dead, Jaken had seen to that, and even if not, the weak ningen would have died from blood-loss anyway. It disgusted him that such an inferior and weak 'thing' had given him a blow harder then any physical wound. She's taken everything precious and dear to him; she'd taken his sunshine, the little girl whose laughter and smiles reminded him that he's alive and needed when he himself seemed to forget. So why couldn't he be there when she needed him the most? Why couldn't he protect her life, save her from death at a weak human's weapon? Was he worth all the love and adoration she'd given him through the years?

Six years, she'd stayed by his side for six years. Those have gone by like a breeze; he didn't notice the flow of time, until it stopped, together with the beat of her heart. He then realized that he'd never hear her heart-beat, her sweet laughter, her endless chatter, her little songs, he'd never see her brilliant smile, her big, warm eyes, never smell the cherry-blossoms on her skin again. Never again. Why did it take her death for him to remember just how frail and short a human life is?

Was this how his father felt? That night when he'd gone injured to fight a whole army to be with the woman he loved.

No, his chichi-ue was in love with the ningen hime, Izayoi. The love Sesshomaru felt for Rin was something else. She was his ward, his little girl; she was first his daughter, then his little sister. He didn't desire Rin in that way. He had plans for Rin. They would've returned to his castle, he would've given her tutors and maids and done everything to make her a presentable young lady, and when the time was right find her a suitable mate, be it a human or demon. Then his duty would have ended and Rin would've had her own family. But then why did he feel the urge to tear apart every male that came near Rin, even in his own thoughts?

He shook himself awake from those thoughts and looked at Rin. Nothing was left of her, it was only a broken doll, lying there on the ground, and his little girl was no more.

That thought brought a fresh wave of nausea and all he wanted was to cry, cry till his tears run dry, till he cried out his eyes so that he didn't have to watch this dirty and bloodied body, still with a smile on it's face, till he drowned his soul in those tears, so that he didn't feel that pain anymore. It was unbearable. For him, who never felt anything, not when his father died, not when he left his home, for him the pain of losing a human female was destructible.

Holding on his self-control with fangs and claws of iron, he gathered her body in his embrace and stood up. Jaken, still crying and muttering something, looked at him but said nothing. For once that toad knew when to hold his tongue.

Sesshomaru didn't say a word as he headed to Edo village, Rin's body held tightly to his chest. Jaken followed with Ah-Un, not knowing what Sesshomaru planned to do, but knowing better then to ask questions. His Lord was in pain and that meant that he was extremely irritable, only one word would land Jaken in Hell and that was the last thing he needed. So he followed silently, lost in his own thoughts.

Kagome was looking over the archery-training of Sango and Miroku's young daughters, lost in her mind, somewhere deep, where her memories were stored. Inuyasha had explained Sesshoma's flare of energy and his yowl, as best as he could. Rin was dead; Sessmoaru was in pain, the only result out of that was that world was in grave danger. Sesshomaru now could give a damn about anything and everything, if he felt like it he could and would destroy village after village, town after town, till there was nothing else. A Dog Demon in grief was Dog Demon in rage and nothing could stop the rampage he could go on. Inuyasha had flat out refused to even think about possibly stopping Sesshomaru, should his older brother really lose his mind to his grief. He'd explained that not even his pride was big enough to send him on an obvious suicide mission, when he had a family to take care of. Kagome had let any argument drop after that. When Inuyasha admitted that he was powerless against Sesshomaru, then it was like that and no other way.

The sudden flow of youki woke her up and she turned around in time to see Sesshomaru coming out of the forest, Rin's body in his arms.

Kagome didn't know if she wanted to cry or vomit at the sight. It was over-powering, the feel of Sesshomaru's youki, drenched in pain and sorrow and the hollow look in his eyes, and the broken little body in his big arms. It was heart-breaking.

And it was something you just don't expect to see. You don't expect a demon like Sesshomaru to break down so much over the death of a little insignificant human girl. And honestly she didn't know what to do. She didn't know what he wanted and if she was able to grant his wish. Someone who had lost a precious part of their heart deserved to have all his wishes granted.

"Sesshomaru..." Her voice was quiet, but clear, a welcome and a warning all together. His eyes fell to the little girls who stared at him from behind Kagome's robes, shy and curious at the same time. So much like Rin.

Kagome understood what was going on in his head and ushered the girls back inside, to be safe and for Sesshomaru to remain sane.

Suddenly Inuyasha popped out, he'd been on the market and Kagome feared that he'd alerted the villagers to his brother, it wouldn't be good if they panicked. As it was Sesshomaru was harmless, but he was also unstable, it was impossible to say when he'd just snap and kill all those around him.

But it was too late already. Curious and frightened villagers were crowded around Inuyasha, Sango and Miroku, who'd come to assist in a fight, or whatever Sesshomaru wanted.

A young village girl, hugging a tree and hiding behind it looked at Sesshomaru and blushed a deep scarlet. She'd never seen a creature so beautiful and so horrible. But his beauty overshadowed everything. She had the desire to see him up close, to say something so he'd acknowledge her, do anything to have those fathomless golden orbs look at her. Her eyes then fell on the motionless body in his embrace and for one fearful moment, she thought that the girl was dead by his hand. But no, if it were to be so then he wouldn't look like he'd lost everything he'd ever held dear. That little dead girl had meant something to him, she'd meant a whole lot to him, it seems.

Sesshomaru looked at Kagome and then back at Rin. "Miko... A ceremony.... Hold it."

So he wanted them to hold a burial ceremony for Rin, they could do that.

Kagome nodded and looked at Inuyasha, who reluctantly and with pity glazing his amber orbs, took Rin from Sesshomaru and gathered her in his own arms. Sesshomaru made a move to stop Inuyasha, but Kagome, placed a hand on his arm, shaking her head, explaining that they had to prepare Rin for the ceremony and that he needed rest. Her eyes then fell on Jaken who was uncertainly looking at the crowd around them.

"Jaken, I need some clothes for Rin. Do you have a kimono with you for her?"

Startled out of his thoughts, the toad jumped a little and hurried towards Ah-Un after looking from Sesshomaru to Kagome and back.

"Ah, hai! A brand new one! She never got to wear it!"

Kagome led Sesshomaru to a little hut, to rest and get his thoughts together. He needed all his strength for what was to come.

Jaken had given the pale pink silk kimono, decorated in blue and lavender flowers and butterflies to Sango, who'd taken on the task to bah Rin, before Kagome and Miroku could prepare her body. Inuyasha had taken Rin into a big hut and exited right away, allowing Sango to do her work, he'd gone to his brother and sat wordlessly beside him, offering without saying, a listening ear and shoulder to lean on. But Sesshomaru just stared ahead, ignoring him, lost in his pain and memories. Inuyasha knew better then to ask questions. If Sesshomaru hadn't demanded he leave then it means that his presence wasn't unwelcome. It meant that it brought some comfort to Sesshomaru.

A few hors later Sesshomaru and Inuyasha were stirred from their thoughts by the smell of burial herbs and oils. Just a second later Kagome's voice came to the hut.

"Inuyasha, help Miroku prepare everything! Hurry!"

The hanyou glanced at his brother before running out of the hut and hurrying off to help Miroku bulid the incrimination pile. Within a few minutes it stood, and Sesshomaru had taken it upon himself to lay Rin down. Kagome arranged her arms and asked for things that Rin held especially dear. Seeing that they were always traveling and Rin refused to laden Ah-Un more then was needed, she only possessed a few little things, but they were very dear to the girl. What she loved the most were flowers and the little jade comb that Sesshomaru had given her a few years back, when she still lived in Edo.

"Don't do anything till I come back."

Kagome looked at Sesshomaru and as soon as she nodded he disappeared.

Sesshomaru remembered a giant field of wild flowers just a little ways outside the village, Rin had shown it to him when he came to visit her once and told him that those flowers were especially beautiful. He quickly found the field, and deliberately, knowing what she liked the most, picked a large bouquet. When he was satisfied he made his way to Ah-Un and fished her comb out of a saddle-bag.

He came back to the village and handed the flowers to Kagome before going to Rin and gently inserting the comb in her brushed neat hair. Then he took the flowers and placed them in her cold unmoving hands.

Seeing that he needed a moment with her alone, Kagome ushered the villagers back. Enough to give him privacy. She stayed where she was, Sesshomaru wouldn't mind. What she didn't see was the girl still hiding behind a nearby tree.

The girl, they called her Tomoyo, watched at Sesshomaru bent over the still body of the broken girl and pressed his cheek against hers. She couldn't make out what he was saying, but he was definitely muttering something under his breath.

A few minutes later he gave a nod to Kagome and she called everyone back. Sesshomau stepped away from the pile, as Sango and Inuysha stood on one side and Miroku and Kagome on the other. Kagome and Miroku begun chanting prayers as Sango and Inuyasha lowered burning wood pieces and setting the pile on fire.

It didn't take long for Rin's frail body to burn down to only ashes and bone pieces. Miroku encouraged the villagers to tell a prayer as well, as Kagome went and scooped the ashes and bones' remains in a jar. She presented the jar to Sesshomaru who stood next to a sobbing Jaken.

"Shall we bury her here, Sesshomaru?"

He looked at the jar for a moment before taking it.

"No, I have to do something first. She never got to live in my castle. I shall build one and bury her in the garden."

And he did as he said. Upon a hill, miles from his old castle, around an old cherry-tree he built a new one, grander and greater the world had ever seen. The garden that went around the castle was full of every flower possible, trees and miniature lakes and rivers added to its beauty. When it was finished and the garden was in full bloom, Sesshomaru buried Rin under the shade of the old cherry three and sat a big memorial stone. On a whim he called his court and the servants to the new castle and destroyed the old one.

When once one of his advisors asked him to get a mistress, he'd looked out to the garden and Rin's resting place and answered in a tone that bore no questions.

"This castle has an eternal mistress. We are merely her guests and we will leave when she wants us to. Remember, I have no home, I am no master in this house."

500 hundred years later, on a sunny spring day, a tour-guide stood under the old cherry tree and explained to the visitors that came to visit the castle.

"It is written that once upon a time, in the feudal era, a youkai built this castle. He was the Great Demon Dog Lord of the West, they called him Sesshomaru, and he built this castle as the final resting place for a little human girl that had been in his care and died a brutal death by the hand of an enemy. The girl's name was Rin, and her remains are buried beneath this tree. A hundred years after her death, Lord Sesshomaru fell in a battle and his loyal servants granted his final wish to be buried together with the only living being he'd ever loved. They're still together and their love has become a legend. It is said that who gets married in that little temple across the pond, will stay together forever."

Tourists looked at the old memorial stone and sighed, speaking a silent prayer for the two souls before moving on. They didn't see a little girl in pink kimono sitting on stone, smiling wildly as a silver-haired man laid a transparent hand on her head.

The stone read:

A Promise is meant to be kept eternally,

Sesshomaru and Rin will keep theirs,

Nothing shall separate them now.

Together forever,

Rest in Peace

THE END

AN: I thought I'd write a sequel of sorts for Blood. I hope you like it. I wrote it all in one sitting, so please forgive any potential mistakes.

Jas